Improvements in microelectronics have increased the demand for electrolyte cells that can be directly incorporated into electronic devices so as to produce a portable, self-contained product. Some of these products are designed such that the electrolyte cell may be attached directly to an electronic circuit within the product. The battery leads are generally connected to copper current collector pads by conventional techniques, such as resistance welding or soldering. The electronic contact leads of polymeric batteries, especially Li-ion polymer batteries, are often formed of copper or aluminum. As will be appreciated, making such connections by welding or soldering becomes more difficult if the connection to be made is near electronic components within the device. Sometimes an additional component and/or manufacturing step, such as plating the leads with a more compatible metal such as nickel or stainless steel or inserting a bridging contact piece, is required.
The present invention provides an improved method for connecting copper or aluminum leads of a battery to a connector of a circuit or component.